Meet the Author

As an award winning blogger, David Butler helps others explore the world of craft beer in Northern Colorado. Fermentedly Challenged helps you find great places to enjoy a beer, listen to music, enjoy a meal and find a discount on your next pint. Follow along on social media - @ChipperDave on Twitter and on Facebook.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Whenever a beer is named after frozen mass of ice, what does that bring to mind? Cold brewed refreshness? Or simply ancient mountain water yearning to break free? Whatever image this brew gives you one things for certain, the Tommyknocker Brewing Company wanted to show everyone that a small mountain brewery could put up a lager that closely matches the big guys' beers. This beer goes by the name of Tommyknocker Alpine Glacier Lager and is the 4th beer out of the Trail Mix sampler 6-pack. If I hadn't seen the bottle, I'd swear I was looking at a Budweiser or a Miller. This beer looks just like the inexpensive American lager that every grocery store sells. It pours a simple yellow with a bright white head. The carbonation in this beer is nearly off the scale as the bubbles just won't stop. The big head lasts and lasts and the lacing clings to the glass. So what could be wrong with all that?

It looks like a Bud, but smells vaguely like a Bud yet with a slight aroma of citrus. Upon first sip of this cold lager, it reminds you up front of a wheat beer only lightly so. It tastes clean, a tad sweet and it goes down super easy. If ever there was a session beer worth having again it would be this one. The 4.6% ABV on this brew is about on par for that. It must have a very low IBU value as bitterness is hard to pick up in this beer. As the beer warms you start picking up a slight reminder of a Belgian ale. There must be a different kind of yeast in this beer to give off the scent and taste of a microbrewed concoction.
Now I must be honest, this is no Belgian, but I can't help but be reminded of an Avery White Rascal, only toned down a bit. This beer doesn't have a lot of body but it isn't watery either as it's name would imply. I suggest you drink this beer nice and cold fresh out of the fridge and you won't go thirsty. Let's face it, you're not going to buy this beer for the hops, IBU's or ABV value, but you'll find that you would drink it at just about any venue you happened to find this at. If you want to be able to drink a beer and not have to worry about driving home, this would be your beer. One of these isn't going to impair you. It's enough of a change from the macro beers that you can taste a difference. I'd venture it would win in a side by side blind taste test with either Bud, Coors or Miller.

I'd encourage you to ignore what the major beer ranking sites awarded this beer and to simply enjoy one for yourself. I went into this tasting with no prior knowledge of this beer and I came away satisfied. That's what really counts when you drink beer isn't it? So you BeerAdvocates and Ratebeer people, just because this beer looks exactly like it was mass produced in St. Louis doesn't mean it's a sub par craft beer. This Tommyknocker beer breaks the mold and knows how to quench a thirst. I'll give it a modest but good 3.1 out of 5. I'd gladly finish a six-pack of this in short order, but sadly I only have just one.